How to Restore Color to a Car's Dash

To completely reinvigorate the color and shine of your car's dashboard, you need only to purchase a few simple, cost-effective products, take a half-hour to apply them correctly and safely and your dashboard will look like new and be dry in no time. Products from companies like Bryndana and Dashboard Restorations offer cost-effective paint sprays. For a more custom-made solution, you can consult a leading dashboard restoration expert like Just Dashes.

• 1

  Wear a nose and mouth face mask, usually cloth fabric with a stretch piece for around the back of the head. This will protect you from inhaling harmful fumes from the products you will use. This is especially important when working in a confined space like a car interior.

• 2

  Clean the surfaces with a fast-drying cleaner like TT Products' Trim and Dash, priced at just under $15. Make sure no dust remains on the surfaces, or your finish will be poor. Also, ensure the surface has plenty of time to dry before continuing.

• 3

  Mask with thick masking tape or painter's tape the areas you do not wish to treat, including any glass, fabric upholstery, electronic equipment like stereo fascias and interior panels. Even better, completely remove the dashboard components you wish to restore. Of course, this will depend on your vehicle and expertise. If possible, remove the dashboard, but avoid damaging it and make sure you know how to reinsert it later.

• 4

  Fill nicks, scratches and blemishes with an adhesion promoter. This will enhance the adhesion between the cleaning and resurfacing products and the dashboard surface, according to Special Chem. Some products on the market are designed to self-level, making them easy to apply and useful if you need to complete the job quickly. The best formulas will not even require sanding to achieve high-quality finishes and good overall results.

• 5

  Use a plastic refinisher vinyl paint spray. Most offer cans of differently-colored products at around $13. This spray penetrates the surface and bonds molecularly to the dashboard to permanently seal in the color, according to Bryndana. It also dries to touch in 45 seconds, and forms a complete bond in only 10 minutes. The resulting surface color is UV stable, color-fast and will not flake, crack or peel.

• 6

  Apply several coats (allowing to dry each time) of your chosen color vinyl paint, working up from a thin, transparent base coat to the finished, thick layer. Allow to dry at the end.

• 7

  Apply a permanent protectant after cleaning and restoration to avoid future damage, wear and tear or color loss. This comes as a UV, clear protector spray that does not wash off and bonds through to the surface molecules of the dashboard. A coat of this protector will resist fading, cracking and heat deterioration, according to Bryndana.